Reactions To First Act Of Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Back in the day, especially during the Roger Moore-era, spy movies typically included colorful megalomaniac, gimmicky henchmen, gentlemen spies with wonderful gadgetry, over-the-top action sequences, and a bevy of beauties for the hero to wine and dine. However, ever since Daniel Craig became 007, the Bond franchise -- as well as other spy films during that time -- have taken a darker, serious tone. So when Kingsman: The Secret Service was released in 2014, bringing back all of those outlandish and entertaining elements, it was a breath of fresh air to the genre.

So now everyone is eagerly awaiting the release of its follow-up, Kingsman: The Golden Circle. We are still four months away its release, but members of the press were invited by 20th Century Fox to view its first act on Friday -- following Thursday's world premiere of Alien: Covenant.

And while the press were instructed not to share details about what they saw, they were encourage to post their initial reactions. And as you would suspect -- since there was no way Fox was going to give them a taste if they didn't no for sure that director Matthew Vaughn whipped up something delicious -- they are overwhelmingly positive.

Kingsman: The Secret Service introduced the world to Kingsman - an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In Kingsman: The Golden Circle, our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents' strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that's becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy...

The film is being directed by Matthew Vaughn. The script was co-written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, based on the “The Secret Service” comic book created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. It is produced by Vaughn, David Reid, and Adam Bohling.

Conner Schwerdtfeger‏ compared it to Fox's raunchy, ultra-violent comic book movie: "It's #Deadpool meets classic Bond in the best way possible."

Paul Shirey‏ described the crowd's enthusiastic response: "When the screen cut out after the presentation of the 1st act, everyone in the audience gave an 'Awwwww!' Wish we could’ve seen it all." He added: "There was clapping, cheering & frequent laughter in the audience for #KingsmanTheGoldenCircle footage shown today if that tells you anything."

To paraphrase Harry Hart, spy movies are only as good as the villain. And apparently, Moore's Poppy -- a notorious criminal mastermind and global entrepreneur -- is on par with Samuel L. Jackson's billionaire genius, maniacal antagonist Valentine.

Steven Weintraub wrote: "Julianne Moore is the villain of the Kingsman sequel and in first act she demonstrates she's the boss in brutal ways. Loved it."

Eric Vespe‏ tweeted: "Kingsman The Golden Circle starts off very well. Julianne Moore in particular shined as the new bad guy."